Korean giants advance Queensland hydrogen plan
The consortium partners behind an export-scale green hydrogen and ammonia production facility planned for north Queensland will advance the mega project from concept to feasibility stage after signing a formal heads of agreement.
JULY 17, 2023 DAVID CARROLL
HYDROGEN
STRATEGIC ALLIANCES
UTILITY SCALE PV
AUSTRALIA
QUEENSLAND
SOUTH KOREA
The export project would make use of the existing deep-water port facilities at Abbot Point.
Image: Abbot Point Operations
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The Hanguk-Hoju Hydrogen Consortium (Han-Ho) is planning to build a green hydrogen ‘super hub’ at Abbot Point in north Queensland, aiming to produce up to 1.8 million tonnes of green ammonia per annum for export to Korea by 2032.
The Han-Ho consortium consists of Australia-based Ark Energy and its parent company Korea Zinc, as well as petrochemicals group Hanwha Impact and fellow Korean conglomerate SK Gas.
Han-Ho sid it will undertake a feasibility study to investigate the potential for a large-scale green ammonia supply chain between Australia and South Korea with multi-gigawatt hydrogen production capacity co-located with renewable energy generation in north Queensland.
Central to the consortium’s plans will be the development of Ark Energy’s Collinsville Green Energy Hub, about 90 kilometres south-west of Bowen, which is now expected to have the potential to generate up to 4.5 GW via a mix of wind and solar. The renewable energy would be used to power electrolysers to produce green hydrogen, which would then be converted to ammonia for shipping.
Ark Energy Chief Executive Officer Daniel Kim said Han-Ho is convinced north Queensland has the potential to become a world-class producer and exporter of green hydrogen.
“We are committed to working closely with our key stakeholders to unlock and maximise this potential,” he said. “The collective ambition of the Han-Ho hydrogen consortium is to acelerate the energy transition by building new green growth engines for both Australia and Korea.”
The timing for a final investment decision on the project remains uncertain but would need to be made in 2027 to meet the schedule for exports in 2032 with construction expected to take about four years.
The project’s development during feasibility stage will be supported by the Queensland government which has announced an $8.5 million (USD 5.81 million) investment as part of its Energy and Jobs Plan hydrogen hubs program.
The state government said its investment will advance the master planning, development and infrastructure arrangements that are needed to transform Abbot Point into a hydrogen export hub including planning for the water and power supplies needed to produce hydrogen at scale in North Queensland.
“Abbot Point presents a unique opportunity on government-owned land, with existing deep water, port infrastructure and proximity to one of Australia’s best renewable energy zoes making it a prime location for renewable hydrogen and ammonia developments in north Queensland,” the government said.
